Things You'll Need:
- Wood and tinder
- Flint and steel
- String (if using the Bow-Drill Method)
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Step 1
Find an open area to build a fire pit. Use large rocks to encircle the pit and contain the fire.
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Step 2
Collect natural fuel for your fire. Get tinder (small sticks, dry leaves and grasses), kindling (larger sticks) and logs to keep the fire going. Stockpile enough fuel to keep your fire lit.
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Step 3
Use a sharp flint and steel to start a fire. Have a bed of dry kindling at your disposal. Strike the flint on the steel with a hard, fast motion angled upward. When you have a spark, quickly add it to the kindling and fan it with air. Once the spark catches and a fire starts, add larger sticks to build a fire.
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Step 4
Try the "Bow-Drill Method" of fire starting, endorsed by the Boy Scouts of America. This way of starting a fire naturally is based on the friction of wood against wood. Get four pieces of wood: a bow, socket, fire board and drill. Make a bow out of bendable wood that is thin and light, and then add a piece of string. The fire board should be flat soft wood. Use a straight piece of strong, hard wood for the drill. To make the socket use a flat piece of wood with an indentation for the drill.
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Step 5
Create a "v" shaped notch in the fire board. Place the drill in this notch, as it will catch the dust created by the friction. This dust is what will ignite and start the fire. Take the bow and wrap the string around the drill one time; this will be the point of friction. Place the socket on top of the drill to hold the drill in place.
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Step 6
Put your dominant hand on the bow and the other hand on the socket. Using fast strokes, move the bow back and forth until the embers ignite. Build a fire by taking the embers and placing them in dry tinder.
